Senate approves bills to reduce school reporting requirements

LANSING, Mich. — Schools would see reduced reporting requirements under legislation approved by the state Senate on Thursday.

Michigan school districts are currently required to prepare and submit hundreds of reports to state and federal entities each year. It is a tedious and time-consuming process, and reports are often redundant and sometimes obsolete by the submission date.

Senate Bills 754-767 would eliminate the unnecessary and redundant paperwork and help streamline reporting requirements.

“It is hard to believe that, in 2016, with all of the technology we have at our disposal, a simple process like completing and filing reports has become such a burdensome chore,” said Sen. Wayne Schmidt, R-Traverse City, who sponsored Senate Bill 763. “Our education professionals should be focusing their time and talents on student instruction, not filling out needless reports. This is good legislation that cuts out the unnecessary while ensuring the important information still gets reported, so our educators can do their jobs.”

The legislation has been widely praised by the state’s education leaders as helping schools redirect their attention to the important task of educating students.

Education reporting requirements are sprinkled throughout Michigan law — not just in the state’s education code. Unfortunately, there is no published comprehensive index to easily locate all mandated reports, and these reports are costly, often taking a great deal of staff time and resources.

SBs 754-767 now head to the Michigan House of Representatives for further consideration.